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Kevin Costner talks with Nick Swisher during batting practice before the game between the Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins on June 23, 2013 at Progressive Field.
(Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Right-hander Carlos Carrasco seeks his first victory in two years as the Indians face the Minnesota Twins this afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05.

Carrasco has not won since June 29, 2011, at Arizona. He finished that season 0-5 in six starts, did not pitch in 2012 because of rehab from elbow surgery and is 0-2 in three starts this season (8.40 ERA).

Carrasco is coming off a superb start. He gave up one run on four hits in 7 1/3 innings against the Royals on June 17 at Progressive Field. He received a no-decision in the Tribe's 2-1 loss.

Nick Swisher returns to the Indians lineup after missing six games because of a sore left shoulder. He is batting cleanup and playing first base.

"I'm so excited to be back,'' he said. "You have no idea, bro.''

Swisher was even more amped than usual before the game. He and some teammates took optional batting practice with actor Kevin Costner, who is in town wrapping the filming of the movie, "Draft Day.'' Costner plays the Browns general manager.

Costner, whose roles have included Crash Davis in "Bull Durham,'' fielded grounders and took swings in the cage. He hit several balls hard. Costner said he is bullish on the Indians.

The Tribe has won four in a row and eight of 10. A victory Saturday over the Twins clinched a fourth straight series, tied for the club's longest such streak.

The Tribe is 24-14 at Progressive Field. It is 22-8 at home since April 30, the most home victories in the majors in that span.

Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis is sizzling. He has reached safely in 24 consecutive games, fifth-longest active streak in the majors as of Saturday night. In June, Kipnis is hitting .379 (25-for-66) with 14 RBI and eight runs in 19 games.

Kluber gaining traction: In three months, right-hander Corey Kluber has gone from being in the Class AAA Columbus rotation to fill-in in Cleveland to one of the Indians' biggest surprises.

Kluber (6-4, 3.68 ERA) has given up three or fewer runs in seven of his last eight starts. (One of the outings ended after two innings because of rain.) Included in that stretch are quality starts at Philadelphia, Boston and Texas.

In his last three starts, Kluber is 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA. He has allowed four runs in 21 2/3 innings.

"The biggest key is the most simple one: Pounding the strike zone,'' Kluber said. "I'm trying to put pressure on hitters by getting ahead and not giving them counts where they can be aggressive.''

Kluber has walked 13 in 71 innings of 13 appearances, 11 of which are starts.

Kluber has used a four-seamer, two-seamer, cutter, breaking ball and occasional changeup to throw his strikes. He had a similar repertoire last year but did not get results with the Tribe, going 2-5 with a 5.14 ERA in 12 starts. A major difference from last season is his willingness to pitch inside. Hitters no longer can cheat on him and eliminate half the plate.

"Something clicked, where I started throwing inside more and getting good results from it,'' he said. "It made sense to me that, if everything's away, guys are seeing the same arm slot over and over. If you change that up on them, it's just another thing they need to think about.

"Guys like to get extended, and that's not going to happen as much if you locate inside. And it opens up the outer half for me, which makes my off-speed pitches better.''

Until this season, Kluber only thought he knew what it meant to work the inner half legitimately.

"In the past, I threw inside for effect,'' he said. "If you just throw it in there and it's a ball every time, hitters don't really need to respect it. But when they see you're commanding the ball inside, throwing strikes to both sides of the plate instead of one, they need to respect it.''

Kluber's four-seamer is one reason he can get inside. When Kluber needs the velocity, he has been able to throw the pitch in the mid-90s with late action -- and sustain the velocity throughout the start. He has struck out 69.

A calm demeanor also helps Kluber. If he gets beat, it won't be because he gets rattled. He doesn't fold at the first sign of trouble, as his start Saturday night against the Twins showed.

Kluber allowed a single and homer to the first two batters he faced. It soon became apparent that he didn't have his best stuff, especially when it came to fastball command. But he hung in long enough to give manager Terry Francona 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball. He threw 100 pitches. The Indians won, 8-7.

"I pride myself in being able to give my team a chance to win,'' he said.

Kluber, 27, was a fourth-round pick by San Diego in 2007. The Indians acquired him in a three-team trade that sent Jake Westbrook to St. Louis on July 31, 2010. Kluber made his major-league debut with Cleveland in 2011.

Entering this season, Kluber was 2-5 with a 5.35 ERA in 15 appearances (12 starts) with the Tribe.

"Confidence is a big thing for anybody,'' he said. "Regardless of how much you believe in your stuff or believe that you belong, going out and getting results is the most important thing. When you get some results, you have a higher level of confidence.''

Kluber is 2-2 with a 3.14 ERA in six appearances (five starts) at Progressive Field this season. Last year, he was 0-4 with a 5.35 ERA in seven starts at home.

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